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4x12 Guilty Until Proven Innocent
Guilty Until Proven Innocent to the past. A stormy night inside Halliwell Manor. Grams cradles baby Phoebe in her bedroom, kisses her forehead and puts her in her crib. Grams: There, there Phoebe. The storm won’t harm you here. smiles, grabs hold of the second baby monitor; making sure that the other is on next to her. She leaves the bedroom. There is a clash of thunder. Grams is barely near the stairs before she hears Phoebe crying and screaming. She walks back to the bedroom. Grams: Oh sweetheart, its okay… is cut short when she sees a robed demon looming over Phoebe’s crib. She points at the demon and pins him against the wall. Grams: You have ten second to tell me who sent you. Demon: I think you already know that, old woman. demon grins Grams: Hell spawned demon, creature of death, fire shall take your very breath! demon bursts into flames and vanishes. Phoebe continues to cry. Grams picks her up and bounces softly. Grams: It’s okay, you’re safe now. Let’s go and call your mommy… tell her it happened again. to present day. An arcade. Various video game machines make beeping and crashing noises as kids and teenagers play them. A girl no older than fourteen wanders through the arcade trying to find a game that appeals to her. She stops still and stares at a plain game machine with the title Solitarius in bold letters across the top. She inserts a quarter into the machine and begins to play. She is mesmerised as an assortment of strange patterns appear on screen. She moves the joysticks but nothing seems to happen. The patterns fade out and strobe lights begin to flash on the screen. The girl winces at the nauseating light show and realises that the room around her has begun to blur and shift. Everything is distorted except herself and the game machine. The screen turns black and a message appears, read out by a deep computer generated voice. Game Voice: So lonely, won’t you come join me? the message is “Yes” and “No”. The girl looks scared and selects “No”. The machine asks her the same question again. She tries to decline again, but again, the message is repeated. She tries to move but is stuck on the spot, the room twisting around her. She gives in and says “Yes” cut back to the arcade as normal. Children continue to play. Two staff members observe around the area the girl was playing and hear the faint sound of a young girl’s scream. Staff member 1: Did you hear that? Staff member 2: Sounded like it came from over there. points to the exact spot that the Solitarius game and the girl were stood, but the space is empty. Staff member 1: Must have been one of the games. You’re in here long enough it’s like the noise is coming from every direction. other staff member nods in agreement and they leave. The camera pans in on the space where the game machine was. -Opening Credits- to the Manor. It’s daytime and Prue sits watching TV and eating a bowl of cereal in the living room. Piper comes down stairs. Piper: Morning. Prue: Morning sweetie, how you feeling? I heard you get up quite a lot last night. Piper: Oh yeah, it wasn’t a great night for my stomach…or my head… my body in general. I didn’t disturb you all night did I? Prue: No, I was just worried. Piper: Well I guess I knew it was coming. applies make up looking in the mirror at her pale complexion. Piper: Thank God for cosmetics, I look like death! Prue: I can tell you for certain that you look nothing like Death. Piper (sarcastically): Ha ha, you know what I mean. rushes down stairs. Phoebe: Did I hear someone mention Death? Because I don’t have time for that today. Piper: No need to worry, what’s the rush? Phoebe: Meeting with my boss. Prue: The principal? Everything’s okay right? Phoebe: Oh yeah, it’s fine, just um… checking on my progress with certain students, that kind of stuff. (To Piper): You feeling okay honey? Piper: Just some sickness, par for the course. kisses Piper on the cheek and she walks towards the front door. Piper: Hey I forgot to ask, is Cole feeling better? Phoebe: Oh yeah much better, I’ve got him wandering around for wedding stuff as we speak. Prue: That’s it sis, crack that whip. smiles awkwardly. Phoebe: See you guys later. Prue: Okay, we still on for the mini bachelorette thing tonight. Phoebe: Uh, yeah, yeah sure. Bye. Prue and Piper: Bye. continues to do her makeup and then removes a pin from the back of her hair. She freezes as she sees a substantial clump of hair has been taken out with it. Leo wanders down the stairs. Leo: Morning. kisses Piper on the cheek Leo: Sorry I can’t stay long today, the work load is getting… notices Piper’s hair. Leo: Oh. turns to see what the deal is and when she figures it out, she stands at Piper’s other side and lays a hand on her arm. Piper: It’s started already. Prue: Maybe you’ll just lose a little. Piper: I’ve barely started treatment Prue; it’s only going to get worse! is silent and sad. Piper: Sorry. Leo: Screw it, I’m staying with you today. Piper: No, thank you, but no. Leo: I can’t leave you alone right now. Piper: I won’t be alone, I’m checking in with Dad to see how things are at the club. Besides, I can’t be putting your charges in jeopardy, especially not because of a mortal problem. Leo: Well maybe you should rest again today. turns to Leo, firmly, but struggling to keep it together. Piper: I know you mean well and I love you; but sitting in this house every day is driving me crazy. I’d rather go out for an hour or two feeling like crap than be climbing up the walls here all day. I need air. Leo: Okay, but promise me you’ll take it easy. Piper: Promise. kiss. Prue wipes an escaped tear from her cheek while neither of them are looking. Leo orbs out. TV Newscaster: This just in. A nurse, Judy Sanderson, has been found dead in her prison cell. Sanderson was awaiting trial after confessing to the murders of several of her patients at San Francisco Memorial hospital… Prue: Oh my God. Piper: That’s the nurse who tried to kill me! TV Newscaster: It has been established that the cause of death was a stab wound to the chest and the night staff at the prison are all being questioned, but one unusual thing we know thus far is that a symbol was carved into her hand, presumably with the same weapon used to stab her and it has been suggested that the symbol is occult in nature. image of the triquetra appears on screen. Prue: The triquetra? You think somebody’s trying to send us a message? Piper: Or trying to set us up. to the high school. Phoebe paces outside of Lilith’s office. Lilith opens the door and a student leaves. Lilith: Miss Halliwell, won’t you come in? enters the office and takes a seat. She looks incredibly nervous and jittery. Lilith sits across from her. Phoebe: What did you do to me? Lilith: Me? I didn’t do anything. Phoebe: You made me kill a witch. Lilith: Now we both know that that’s not true. starts to become more agitated. Phoebe: The Source, he did something to me in the Underworld, I saw it. Lilith: All the Source did was make you more open to different views of magic. How else was he to open your mind a little after you’ve spent so long under the direction of the Elders. Talk about repression! Phoebe: Why me? What do you want from me? Lilith: I told you. A war is coming. Phoebe: Right, but what you didn’t tell me was what kind of war and how the hell you know it’s coming in the first place. Lilith: You think you’re the only one with foresight? The war will be between witch and mortal. It is destined. The deciding battle as to who will run this world: the magical, or the inferior. Phoebe: Inferior? Lilith: Do you disagree? Do you think it’s right that you have to stay hidden, pretending to be just like them, when they should feel honoured to be in your presence? Phoebe: You do realise my dad is a mortal… Lilith: Yes, you’ve recently repaired your relationship with him I believe… tell me, what caused that rift? is silent and averts her gaze Lilith: Because you were more than he could handle. And that’s not his fault; it’s the world’s, and ours… because we have tolerated it for millennia! We have to make a change Phoebe and you can help us. Phoebe: By killing people? Lilith: By making sacrifices for the good of the entire world. War is necessary to make this world a better place and death is unfortunately a part of that. The mortals understand that better than anyone believe me. Phoebe: A better world? Lilith: A revolution for magic, with you at the helm. to Piper’s bedroom. She puts on a jacket and fingers through her hair nervously. Kit enters her room and slowly approaches her. He kisses up to her, rubbing his cheek on her ankle. Piper: Hi baby. teary eyed, picks Kit up. He stretches out his neck and rubs his nose on hers to Darryl’s police station. Prue and Kelendria enter. Prue: Thanks for coming with me. I didn’t want to stress Piper out, she has enough the deal with at the moment. Kelly: Any time… and the same goes for Piper, if there’s anything I can do. Prue: I appreciate that; just knowing you’re here is worth a million, believe me. two of them approach Darryl. Darryl: Hey, don’t need to guess why you’re here. Prue: Hi Darryl, you remember Kelly? Darryl: Oh sure, hi. Kelly: Hi. Prue: The nurse that was murdered… Darryl: She was the one you voodoo marched to me, I know. Any idea how she got your symbol carved into her? Prue: Piper and I think somebody might be trying to set us up. Darryl: Well they might be succeeding. Kelly: What? But how could they even link the triquetra to them? Darryl: Well not directly to the sisters, but to their kind; witches. looks concerned Darryl: Something else has been happening in the city recently; kids going missing and after the nurse’s mutilation, people have started connecting the dots. Prue: And because demons go poof when we stop them, they think witches are doing these things. Darryl: Exactly. Kelly: I didn’t realise the people of San Francisco were quite so open minded. Darryl: Well they may not believe in the kind of witches we know, but they believe in occultists; people who practice witchcraft in their own way. Prue: Can you tell us anything about the missing kids? Maybe if we stop whatever is causing it we can exonerate witches in the process. Darryl: Well, to tell you the truth we have very little to go on; other than that they’re all from the same area. Prue: Well that’s a start. Can you give me their names? to a flashback of the past. Grams and Patty talk in the Manor living room. Grams is sat on a couch while Patty paces nervously Grams: Sweetheart, just try to calm down a little. Patty: I can I be calm Mom? This is the fifth demon attack in the last two weeks. Grams: Well to be honest, they haven’t really been attacks. Patty: What do you mean? Grams: Well… now that I think of it, none of the demons have actually even attempted to hurt Phoebe. They’ve just been watching her. Patty: Somehow that doesn’t make me feel better. What could this mean? Grams: Well, we thought something like this could occur. Considering where she was born and all. Patty: Because she was the first witch born on The Nexus. You think that’s why they’re watching her? Grams: Maybe they’re just nervous about the power she could have. Patty: Or they want her for themselves. fails to keep hiding her concern. back to present day. Prue, Piper and Kelly stand in the attic. Piper: So you think Phoebe will be able to get a premonition off the pictures Darryl gave you. Prue: Hopefully; they’re all we have; that and the general location. runs into the attic. Phoebe: Hi, I got here as soon as I could. What do you need? picks up some photos of the lost children. Prue: Children are going missing and it seems demonic, we were hoping you could get a premonition from these pictures that might help us get some details. Phoebe: Okay. takes the photos from Prue and closes her eyes in concentration. She gasps as a vision floods her mind. She sees the outside of the arcade and the little girl from earlier entering. Phoebe: Okay, it’s an arcade and a little girl… sound of children crying echoes through Phoebe’s mind. The photos in her hands burst into flames and she falls to the ground in pain. Prue: Phoebe? holds her head in her hands and writhes in pain sobbing until eventually the noise fades. Prue and Piper rush to her aid as Kelly looks shocked at the ashes which used to be the photos on the floor. Piper: What the hell was that? Phoebe: I don’t know. I think maybe the demon intercepted my vision, used it to hurt me. Prue: Well then it’s obviously more powerful than we had in mind… you said an arcade? Phoebe: Yeah, um, just give me a minute to catch my breath? Prue: Of course. leaves the room. She runs downstairs and goes to pick up the phone but stops when she sees the mirror on the wall clouding over. Lilith: I’m here my dear, no need to call. clouds fade and reveal Lilith’s face in the glass. Phoebe: What was that? Lilith: A close call is what it was. Your new powers are reacting badly with your old ones, I recommend you only use what the great Source gave you from here on out...discreetly as you have so far of course. Phoebe: And that won’t make my sister’s suspicious? Lilith: It might. But you won’t need to hide for too much longer anyway. Don’t worry. fades from the mirror. to the arcade. Prue, Piper and Phoebe walk through the noisy building. Piper: How can disappearing children go unnoticed in a place this busy? Prue: Well we’ll find out. sisters find a staff member. Prue: Hi, we work with Inspector Morris and we’re investigating the disappearances of a number of children in this area; we were wondering if you could show us your security tapes to see if any of them happened to be here recently. Staff member: Um sure, that shouldn’t be a problem. Prue: Great… Staff member: I’ll just need to ask Garry my boss… oh there he is, Garry! Garry: Can I help you? Staff member: They’re investigating the missing children cases, they want to see our security tapes. sisters smile a little nervously. Garry: Well of course, can I see some ID? Phoebe: Um well, we’re… sighs and places a hand on Garry’s shoulder, acquiring eye contact. Prue: You really want to show us those tapes right now; you couldn’t care less about ID because you just really want to help us find those kids. staff member looks a little weirded out as Garry is mesmerised and stutters. Garry: Wh..um… yes of course, follow me ladies. to the security room. The sisters look at four TV screens of black and white footage from different angles of the arcade. Prue: Okay, this is a couple of nights ago; do you recognise any of the kids? Phoebe: There, that’s the girl from my vision, I’m sure of it. Prue: Okay, we’ll keep an eye on her. girl moves off one screen and onto the other, the sisters follow her and see her moving into an empty space. She moves her hands, playing on an invisible games machine. Piper: The hell? the screen begins to flicker and a whisper is heard. Voice: So lonely… won’t you join me? the picture comes back, the girl is gone. Piper: Where’d she go? Prue: I don’t know, but I think we just heard our demon. to the attic. Prue stands behind the Book and Kelly stands in front. Kelly: Are you sure you don’t want me to help you? Or I could track Cole down, get him to help. Prue: No, I don’t want you in harm’s way, and Cole is doing wedding stuff, which Phoebe would be doing if she ever got a break from all this crap. Kelly: Is she alright? Looked like that vision hurt her pretty bad. Prue: Just makes me more determined to vanquish this thing. holds her hand over the book. Prue: So lonely. Won’t you join me? book flicks telekinetically and arrives at a page. Kelly: Oh and for the record… moves to Prue’s side. Kelly: I’m fearless when I’m with you. smiles and the two kiss. Just then, Piper walks in. Piper: Oh, sorry, didn’t mean to interrupt anything. I saw nothing. follows Phoebe: You find anything. Prue: This sounds like our guy. Solitarius, also known as The Demon of Loneliness. He lives on a plane that coexists with ours, similar to how Abraxas did. He’s the only one who lives on the plane so he takes people into his dimension and keeps them for company; feeding on the pain they feel missing their loved ones. Piper: Wow… that’s horrible. Phoebe: Why children? Prue: Not sure, it doesn’t say anything about children specifically… although it does say that he basically spits out the bodies when his victims eventually die, so maybe he just takes the youngest victims he can so they’ll last longer. Kelly: From what you said about the footage, it sounds like the portal to his dimension is only visible to whoever he wants… so how are you going to get in to save the kids? Piper: Maybe we could tweak the spell we used to see the fairies and trolls last year? Prue: That could work. back to the arcade. Prue: Okay, we just need to find the space the girl disappeared in. We cast the spell and Piper, you freeze the arcade. find the empty space. Prue, Piper and Phoebe: At this time and in this hour, we call upon the sacred power. Three together, stand alone. Command the unseen to be shown. This demon’s fail obscures our sight, lift it so we witches may fight. the machine fades in, Piper attempts to freeze the arcade so that people don’t see. However rather than freezing, everyone slows down. Prue: Piper, what’s going on. looks dizzy Piper: I don’t kn… trickles from Piper’s nose and she collapses; the arcade reverts to normal speed. Prue: Piper! rushes to Piper’s aid. The machine catches Phoebe’s eye and she can’t help but play. People rush around to help Prue. Piper wakens up. Piper: What happened? Prue: You collapsed sweetie. Don’t worry, Phoebe and I are going to take you home. looks over and is horrified to see that the space is once again empty and Phoebe is nowhere to be seen. Prue: Phoebe? opens her eyes and finds herself in a dark place, tinted purple and veiled in mist. Phoebe: Prue, Piper? Solitarius: Wiiiitch. jumps and quickly gets up. Solitarius: You wished to see my world, I have granted your wish. Won’t you stay with me and my children? looks in horror as she sees the ground beneath Solitarius has the faces of all the children embedded within. They groan in terror. Phoebe: I will never join you. Solitarius: You don’t have the power to vanquish me alone witch, what other option do you have? Phoebe: I’m so much more than a witch. closes her eyes for a moment and opens them to reveal blackened eyes. Phoebe: Because I found the true almighty and he is always with me. Solitarius (panicked): You’re one of them? Forgive me, I didn’t… unleashes two streams of fire from her hands that engulf Solitarius. Solitarius: No, please, no! I just didn’t want to be alone. Phoebe: Oh you won’t be where I’m sending you. Don’t worry! ceases throwing fire and Solitarius explodes in a cloud of black smoke that fills the entire plane. to Prue and Piper in the arcade. Prue: Why isn’t the spell working now, we just did it? Piper: Maybe if you astral project you could… are interrupted as all the lights in the arcade cut off. Machines begin to spark and malfunction until the arcade is completely dark. Prue: What now? lights come back on and all is back to normal. Prue gasps as she finds Phoebe stood with all the children. Phoebe: You guys run home okay? Prue: You did it! Phoebe: Yeah, he wasn’t that tough. Killed him with his own energy ball. Piper: Are the kids going to be okay. Phoebe: They’re memories are gone, luckily. to one of the children arriving home. A little boy. His parents greet him at the door and break down in tears as they hug him. Cut to the three of them talking in the living room. Mom: You’ll need to tell the police what happened, but we’ll be with you. Child: But mom, I don’t remember… mirror on their wall clouds over and Lilith appears then fades away for a brief moment. Child: Wait… a witch. I remember a witch. to Piper’s bedroom. Leo orbs in with a box of chocolates. Leo: Hey sweetie. Sorry I’m so late, tomorrow I am all yours and we can just relax, watch some movies. Piper? walks into Piper’s bathroom and finds her with an electric razor. Hair piles on the floor. Leo: What? What… are you? Piper: I’m not crazy. Leo: No. I just… Piper: I need to take control. My powers are weakened and I can’t handle clumps of hair falling out each day, it’s too much, I need something that I control… and I looked online and they say this can be empowering. is speechless Piper (sad): Are you freaked? Am I hideous? moves towards Piper and kisses her temple. Leo: You are the most beautiful woman in the entire universe. smiles and kisses Leo. to Prue and Kelly getting ready for Phoebe’s bachelorette party. Kelly: I’m so looking forward to this. Phoebe deserves a night like this after taking out that demon solo! Prue: Yeah, getting married, kicking ass… my baby sister’s all grown up. And Piper… can’t hold it in any longer and bursts into tears. Kelly doesn’t say anything and just goes straight to embrace her. Prue: Well there goes the makeup. Kelly: I’ll redo it for you, don’t worry about that. Prue: I guess with her losing her hair and then fainting at the arcade… It just hit me. nods. Prue: It hadn’t occurred to me before. I just assumed everything would work out, but what if they don’t. She might not get better. Kelly: Hey. If anyone can kick this thing’s ass, it’s your sister. All we can do is surround her with as much love and support as possible, okay? It’s not your job to rescue her this time. Prue (whimpering): Can’t I rescue her a little? Kelly: You can put on a brave face for tonight, for the party… but there’s nothing wrong with her knowing you’re scared. nods and kisses Kelly to Phoebe’s room. She is dressed in a black dress, her hair straightened and a flower in her hair. She sits on the end of her bed looking miserable. She picks up her cell phone and dials a number. Phoebe: Cole, it’s me. When I get back from the party I want you to be here in bed waiting for me… and I want you to just hold me. Don’t say anything and don’t kiss me; just hold me. Okay? hangs up. She takes a deep breath and stands. She looks at herself in the mirror. to a flashback of the past. Grams and Patty hold hands over Phoebe’s crib. Grams and Patty: Let no evil enter here, keep this child safe and free from fear. looks at Phoebe with loving eyes. Patty: Do you think it worked? Grams: I honestly don’t know my darling. It will probably keep some of the demons out but… Patty: She might always be susceptible to their side. Grams: We’ll just have to protect her and raise her as best we can. Phoebe gurgles in her sleep. to P3 in the present. Prue and Kelly toast with Phoebe. Prue: To Phoebe and Cole. clink glasses Piper: Toasting without me? arrives wearing a glitzy head scarf. Prue: Oh hey, you look fabulous. How does it feel? Piper: Meh, it’ll take some getting used to but, I’m feeling good about it. So, again, to Phoebe and Cole. all clink glasses again. Kelly: So Phoebe, how does it feel, big day looming and all? Phoebe: Honestly? Piper and Kelly wait for her to answer Phoebe: …best feeling ever. I can’t wait. takes a big sip of her drink. laugh and chat as the camera pans out of the booth and the screen fades to black. -The End-